Spices, flours and grains
| Term | Script | What it is | Also spelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berbere | በርበሬ | The base red chilli blend, cooked into wat from the start | berberé, barbaré |
| Mitmita | ሚጥሚጣ | Sharper bird's-eye chilli blend, used raw at the table | mit'mit'a |
| Mekelesha | የወጥ መቀለሻ | Finishing spice — cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper — added at the end | mekelesha, mequlesha |
| Senafich | ሰናፍጭ | Ground mustard | senafitch, sinafich |
| Shiro | ሽሮ | Milled spiced chickpea, the everyday stew powder | shuro |
| Hilbet | ሕልበት | Horse bean with lentil and fenugreek, a fasting staple | hlbet, hilbat |
| Bula | ቡላ | Fine white starch from the enset, or false banana, plant | boola |
| Abish | አብሽ | Fenugreek. Sold in a drinking grade and an injera-batter grade | abesh, abish |
| Beso | በሶ | Roasted barley flour, mixed with water or taken with coffee | besso |
| Kolo | ቆሎ | Roasted grain snack served with the coffee tray | qolo |
| Kinche | ቅንጬ | Cracked grain porridge — what Aja Kinch is cooked into | kinch, qinche |
| Gesho | ጌሾ | Shiny-leaf buckthorn, the bittering agent in tella and tej | geyso, gesso |
The coffee ceremony
| Term | Script | What it is | Also spelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buna | ቡና | Coffee, and the ceremony itself | bunna, bunn |
| Jebena | ጀበና | The clay brewing pot. Long-necked Ethiopian, rounder Eritrean | jabana, jebana |
| Finjal | ፍንጃል | Small handleless cup | finjan, sini |
| Rekebot | ረከቦት | The ceremony tray or trolley holding the whole service | rekbot |
| Fernello | ፈርኒሎ | The stove the jebena sits on — charcoal or electric | furnello, fornello |
| Etan | ዕጣን | Frankincense, burned throughout the ceremony | itan, etane |
| Karfa | ቀረፋ | Cinnamon — as bark, and as a scented incense | kerfa |
| Abol | አቦል | The first and strongest round of coffee | awel |
| Tona | ቶና | The second round | kalei, huletegna |
| Baraka | በረካ | The third round — the blessing that closes the sitting | bereka |
| Mukecha | ሙቀጫ | The mortar beans are ground in | mukecha |
Dishes and occasions
| Term | Script | What it is | Also spelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injera | እንጀራ | The fermented flatbread everything is served on | enjera, enjera |
| Wat | ወጥ | Stew. Doro wat is chicken, zigni its Eritrean counterpart | wot, wet |
| Tella | ጠላ | Home-brewed grain beer, bittered with gesho | talla |
| Tej | ጠጅ | Honey wine, also bittered with gesho | tedj |
| Mesob | መሶብ | The woven table the communal plate sits on | messob |
| Tsom | ጾም | Fasting. Drives demand for shiro, hilbet and bula | tsome, som |
| Habesha | ሐበሻ | Ethiopians and Eritreans collectively — and the cuisine | abesha |
Ordering note. If a customer asks for something spelled differently from our catalogue,
it is very likely the same line. Check the middle column before telling them we do not stock it.